What to do with a new gaming pc

Basically, Ninite does what you do, only faster and with less clicks. Benchmarks are not just for bragging rights, they can also root out faulty hardware and let you know if your parts are all performing the way they should. This is sort of like pressing the pedal to the metal in a new car—if it spits and sputters, then the dealer has some explaining to do, and might even have to replace some parts if not the whole thing.

The same is true of a new PC—burn it in and see where the dust settles. The best way to do this is by benchmarking individual components. For gaming, the GPU is the most important piece of hardware.

There are two things you want to look for here. One is artifacting, which can be indicative of a bad GPU or graphics memory, and the second is the benchmark score.

You will want to compare this with other similar setups. A lower than expected score can be caused by using outdated drivers, insufficient cooling, or even not enough wattage being supplied to your graphics card. You should also test your CPU, storage, and Internet connection. Your best bet against malware is to use safe computing habits. You know, things like never opening unexpected email attachments, typing URLs directly into your browser instead of clicking on links, and using secure passwords.

Just visiting a compromised website can infect your PC. Another note which might be controversial to some : the PC version can be modded to allow for cheats.

Like Overwatch and Team Fortress 2 , Apex Legends puts a class-based spin on an already-popular genre. The progression systems in place are rewarding and will keep you playing for a while. Better yet, this game is free. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.

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Tablets Smartwatches Speakers Drones. The more applications set to do this the longer your PC will take to start-up, and it uses more RAM as a result. Windows 8 makes it easy to disable apps through the built-in Task Manager. In Windows 7, try CCleaner or Windows's built-in tool that's accessed by typing msconfig. A program designed to be a one-stop shop to regularly clear the crud out of your Windows installation, CCleaner is free but has a paid upgrade.

It can keep all of your Windows temporary files among others at bay by regularly deleting them and acts as a registry cleaner too. A handy alternative to Windows's built-in defragmentation tool, Defraggler has a friendly user interface and will install an option in your right-click menu so that you can defragment individual files or folders. For a gaming PC, it means you can concentrate on defragmenting game data to make levels load up faster.

Defragmentation provides a modest performance increase, but every little bit helps. Note that you don't need to defrag if you have an SSD, and it could actually harm the drive. See our guide on SSD maintenance for more. Not keen on defragging? Swap your hard disk for an SSD instead. SSDs are now coming down in price and their durability is getting much better to the point of where it is now a practical option for home users to upgrade.

The primary benefit of an SSD is that the speed at which data can be read from a drive is far greater than that of a spinning drive. Say goodbye to long loading times. If you know what you're doing, overclocking can make your old hardware seem brand-new. CPUs with high core counts are best for streaming because they can allocate the resources of some cores for gaming while using others to encode the video signal. For everything you need to start streaming, check out our full guide.

Few things are more gratifying than having a new system configured exactly how you want it. This also extends to the software you run on your new system. Third-party applications and power-user tweaks allow you to customize the operating system beyond what is offered out of the box.

They can make the desktop user experience smoother, sleeker, and more personalized. Benchmarking utilities push your system to the limit. These tough computational challenges slam system components with heavy workloads, scoring them on their ability to perform under pressure. One reason you might want to run benchmarks is to know which games you can play, and what FPS you can reach when playing. Another way to run benchmarks is by playing games and seeing how well they perform.

Frame rate monitoring tools like Fraps actively display your FPS in the corner of the screen while you play, and can be used to measure your average frame rate in specific sections of the game, or over an entire play session. Just keep in mind that no two games are created equal. In-game performance will fluctuate depending on the specific demands of the game you are playing. Our guide on how to read CPU benchmarks will provide more detail.

It may sound complex, but the fundamentals of overclocking are pretty straightforward, and overclocking software from Intel makes overclocking relatively simple. Overclocking is only supported on processors that are unlocked. The PC gaming ecosystem is truly diverse and offers a wealth of compelling experiences. Try out some exclusive titles, download some user-created mods, or regularly broadcast your games on your streaming channel.

Altering clock frequency or voltage may void any product warranties and reduce stability, security, performance, and life of the processor and other components. Check with system and component manufacturers for details. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. Skip To Main Content. Safari Chrome Edge Firefox. Highlights: Using a monitor with a high refresh rate can give you a competitive edge while gaming.